In December 2016, the landmark 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law. Many of the provisions in the law focused on improving interoperability of health information, including Sec. 4004, which forbids the practice of information blocking.

Sec. 4004 defines information blocking as a practice that is likely to interfere with, prevent, or materially discourage access, exchange, or use of electronic health information, and requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through rulemaking, to identify reasonable and necessary activities that do not constitute information blocking. The Final Rule, released on March 9 by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) and entitled 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program, carries out this statutory directive, in addition to finalizing related updates and changes to the ONC Voluntary Certification Program for Health IT.

Download to read eHI's summary.